IN THE GARDEN

By Caroline Collins

Summer is the laziest season of the year. Long lingering days and seductive gardens entice us outdoors. But before you grab the lemonade and a good book and head for the hammock there are a few gardening tasks to consider.

After a relatively dry spring our gardens were lucky to soak up some June rain but now we are into sunny summer and if the drought continues we will have to irrigate. Try to water flower beds before the ground is dried and hard or the water will puddle on the surface and run off. If this happens stop watering and let the water soak down to the roots before continuing to water. To prevent disease it is best to keep foliage dry and not water from above. You might consider using a drip irrigation system which delivers water right to the plant roots. These systems conserve water and are easy to install. If you did not mulch last month do it now. Last summer my well mulched flower beds survived the drought on only one watering per week.

July is a month of picnics and croquet and other activities enjoyed on lush green lawns. Unfortunately lush green lawns have a cost and we can no longer take them for granted but if a lawn is healthy and regularly maintained, weed, disease and watering problems will be minimized.

Here are a few tips to help your lawn survive the hot dry summer. Set your mower higher, never remove more than one third of the height of your grass, as this will shade the soil and roots, promote root growth and prevent weeds. Use a mulching blade in your mower and leave the clippings on the lawn, returning approximately twenty-five percent of needed nutrients back to the grass.

Consider letting your lawn go dormant in the summer. If you water just once a month in the hot dry weather your brown lawn will bounce back with the fall rain. If you must water do it wisely. It is better to put one inch of water on the lawn once a week than lesser amounts more often. You can put an empty tuna fish or cat food can on your lawn while watering and quit when the can has 1 inch of water in it. To reduce evaporation it is better to water in the early morning or early evening and don’t water when it is windy because most of the water never reaches your lawn.

Do not fertilize in summer but in September and again in May you should use an organic or slow-release fertilizer. Turf grasses usually do not like acid soil so in fall we need to sweeten our soil with dolomitic lime and finally in spring you should remove the thatch and aerate the lawn.

I know there is probably no better surface for a child’s play area but another solution to the lawn care problem is to replace it with drought-tolerant ground covers, flower beds, vegetable gardens or stones.

Summer is a great time to think about the design of your garden. Do you need a new perennial to brighten a corner or a new shrub to fill a gap? Perhaps another tree would provide privacy or shade. Consider adding drought-tolerant plants to your design. They are tough, low maintenance and many are evergreen. My current favorites are Osmanthus, Nandina, Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria), Euphorbia, Sedum and Gaillardia to name a few.

Start a wish list of plants to add in fall. When you visit gardens think about the plants that grab your attention. Note their characteristics such as mature size, shape, foliage and flower color and environmental needs. Check the foliage for diseases and pests which are a signal to get more information about that plant and perhaps look for a disease resistant variety more suited to our climate. A good place to start your wish list is on the Point Roberts Garden Tour on July 11. You can buy tickets at Bloomer’s Nursery, Nielson’s Building Center or Triple M Realty.

If you have a gardening question send it to the All Point Bulletin, P.O. Box 1451, Point Roberts, WA 98281 and I will try to find the answer.

July Garden Chores:

Keep your compost moist and turn it regularly.
Water, dead-head and feed containers and hanging baskets. Use a fertilizer with a high phosphorus (P) number for lots of blooms.

Pinch off chrysanthemum and aster shoots to prevent leggy stems.
Dead head roses to encourage more blooms. Fertilize them with slow release or organic rose fertilizer and remember they need about one inch of water per week.

Prune late shrubs after blooming.
Prune Wisteria now by cutting back the laterals and side shoots to within five or six buds of the main branch.

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